The almost-but-not-quite HTC Vive VR 2018 List

This list contains all the VR experiences I’ve played that almost made by best of 2018 list, but had some glaring issue I couldn’t overlook. It contains a mix of free and paid VR experiences, order is not important, and it’s a work-in-progress.

If you’re looking for the best FREE and PAID VR experiences click those links.

Colosse (FREE)- cool art style and fun little story, but too short and nothing to interact with. If you’re looking for a free and quick install and want to spend the 5 minutes to watch it, go for it, but otherwise it’s probably safe to skip over.

Allumette (FREE) – this probably should be on the best free list, BUT I’m biased against the story. It just wasn’t that interesting to me, but overall this is probably worth checking out. It was really well done, it was a solid 15 minutes, and the scale was fascinating. There’s also a moment in the middle that’s worth seeing that took me by surprise.

The Bellows (FREE) – this has some genuinely freaky moments and I had fun swearing in my room as things jumped out at me, but overall I felt it was a little corny or forced. It’s close to being on the best free list, but something about it just isn’t quite there. Props to the free locomotion option though and some truly terrifying moments. Oh and the zero-G effect was cool too.

Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul (PAID) – I really enjoyed this game and physically jumped and recoiled in terror a few times. The story is alright and everything worked well overall. There’s at least a couple solid hours of content, although it feels a bit expensive for what you’re getting. I’d wait for a good sale to pick it up. Not quite best of material, but close.

Trials on Tatooine (FREE) – this was a fun little experience that looks great and is better than their Droid Repair Bay game (although that one is longer), BUT it’s super short. If you’re just looking to experience different things in VR, I’d say check it out, but don’t expect much more than 5 minutes of content.

Wake Up (FREE) – this is an interesting dream-like VR experience that has a solid 30 minutes of content. There’s very little directions so prepare to be patient as you figure out the puzzles. They also don’t have a free locomotion option, which is always sad, but it probably didn’t make sense for this game anyway. Overall, it’s good, but I can’t quite put it on the best free list.

Acan’s Call: Act 1 (FREE) – fun, well-made linear dungeon crawler experience with sword and shield combat. Games like this excite me for the future when they make Dark Souls or Skyrim with full VR. Overall, it’s a good game, but short.

Abbot’s Book Demo (FREE) – I can’t quite put this on the best free list because it’s so short, BUT the vibe was creepy and awesome. It felt like a scene from Dark Souls brought to VR. If you don’t mind it being super short, check it out, otherwise it’s probably ok to skip over.

The Red Stare (FREE) – this is a great game and probably deserves to be on the best free list, BUT it’s slow and you need a fair amount of patience to get into it. Some of it felt a little tedious too, almost like it needed one more game mechanic mixed in to spice it up. Oh and don’t make the same mistake I did putting the card in the wrong slot on the fax machine.

Insanity VR: Last Score (FREE) – this game is downright creepy and disturbing. It’s probably one of the best scary games out there and has a decent little chunk of content, but I can’t put it on the best of list because I wasn’t a fan of the movement system and when you failed it wasn’t quick to jump back in and restart. Worth playing, but not quite a best of experience. Also, just to reiterate, this game is actually disturbing so be prepared.

Quanero (FREE) – an interesting and unique free game with a decent chunk of content, but another that requires some patience to get into and solve. Definitely worth checking out, but not quite best of material.

INVASION! (FREE) – another fun little animated movie with a cute bunny and some silly aliens. It’s too short to be on the best of list, but it’s probably worth the 5 minutes to check it out.

Octopus Bar (FREE) – this misses the mark because it’s so short, but overall it was a weird and fascinating game. Definitely worth the 5-10 minutes, but not quite best of material.

InCell VR (FREE) – this follow up title to InMind VR (FREE) is a significant improvement in multiple ways, but still misses the mark due to a few problems. It requires you to move through the levels sequentially which takes awhile and is too easy (I felt comfortable jumping straight to level 3). It also gets repetitive quickly which could be negated by introducing more gameplay elements in the tutorial or level 1. I also wish they would invest in a real robot voice instead of text-to-speech which just sounds cheap and lazy. Overall though, it’s a fun roller coaster ride that looks spectacular and is worth the 15-30 minutes of casual gameplay.